Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42721136›Full record

ArticlePloS one2026

Vanderbilt Integrated Community TMS for Opioid Recovery (VICTORY): Study protocol for a randomized, controlled trial of non-invasive brain stimulation to reduce craving in people with opioid use disorder.

Kathryn Biernacki, Jillian Connolly, Libby Tunison, Kristopher A Kast, Simon Vandekar, Benson King, Tashley Aouina, Beth Black, Rachel Craig, Jason Ferrell and 11 more

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial Protocol
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07457489 (Vanderbilt Integrated Community TMS for Opioid Recovery), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07457489 narecruitingnot on this map

Vanderbilt Integrated Community TMS for Opioid Recovery

TypeinterventionalSponsorVanderbilt University Medical CenterRan2026 to 2028Enrolled100ConditionsOpiod Use DisorderArmsDevice: Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

21 authors.

Kathryn BiernackiDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0715-2958
Jillian ConnollyDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Libby TunisonDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Kristopher A KastDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Simon VandekarDepartment of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7457-9073
Benson KingDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Tashley AouinaDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Beth BlackDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Rachel CraigDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Jason FerrellDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Christopher A GrimesDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Lauren HorowitzDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Michael LevinDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Mariah SmithDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9254-3659
Linda SokDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Amanda von HornDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Kyle YorkDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Steven SomersSynaptic PSYCH, Brentwood, Tennessee, United States of America.
Jonathan BeckerSynaptic PSYCH, Brentwood, Tennessee, United States of America.
Michelle CochranSynaptic PSYCH, Brentwood, Tennessee, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7660-0799
Heather Burrell WardDepartment of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.

Funding

Network-Targeted Neuromodulation for Nicotine Dependence in SchizophreniaK23DA059690 · NIDA · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · PI Heather Burrell Ward · 2024 to 2026
$557k
NIDA NIH HHS K23 DA059690
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIndividuals receiving buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) remain at high risk for treatment discontinuation and return to opioid use. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has shown efficacy in reducing craving and substance use in other substance use disorders, but its application in OUD remains limited and the neural mechanism underlying its therapeutic effects is poorly understood. Determining the feasibility and generalizability of TMS in patients receiving buprenorphine - the most commonly prescribed medication for OUD - is therefore critical. This protocol aims to address these issues in a clinical trial of weekly TMS sessions for OUD.

methodsWe will enroll up to 120 individuals with OUD taking buprenorphine in a randomized, single-blind, sham-controlled trial of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC)-targeted intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS). Participants will receive active or sham iTBS weekly (2 sessions of 1800 pulses each applied once per week x 8 weeks, 16 sessions total) with pre- and post-iTBS assessments (10, 12, 20 weeks) of craving, opioid use, and treatment retention. A subset of individuals will undergo optional pre- and post-iTBS neuroimaging. The study will be conducted at an academic medical center and a private outpatient TMS clinic.

aimsOur primary aim is to determine whether 16 sessions of active iTBS applied to the left DLPFC results in reduced craving and opioid use, and higher treatment retention, relative to sham. In a secondary aim, we will also examine whether iTBS-related changes in craving are associated with changes in functional connectivity between the left DLPFC and both the dorsal striatum and anterior cingulate cortex. DISCUSSION: By evaluating the feasibility and efficacy of a weekly TMS protocol that aligns with routine care and focuses on patients maintained on buprenorphine, this study addresses key limitations of prior TMS research in OUD. Furthermore, the inclusion of neuroimaging will help characterize the neural mechanisms underlying TMS-related changes in craving.

trial registrationThis clinical trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.Gov; ID NCT07457489; date of registration: 03/02/2026.

Indexed as

CravingOpioid-Related DisordersTranscranial Magnetic StimulationAdultBuprenorphineDorsolateral Prefrontal CortexFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicSingle-Blind MethodBuprenorphine

Identifiers

PMID42721136
PMCPMC13561319

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.